As Rupali ‘Monisha’ Ganguly joins BJP, here’s more about the Anupamaa actor

Popular television actor Rupali Ganguly joined the BJP at the party’s Delhi headquarters on Wednesday (May 1). The actor, who shot to fame with the cult sitcom Sarabhai vs Sarabhai, is known to be a fan of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Here is more about Rupali “Monisha” Ganguly.

Early life

According to online reports, Rupali Ganguly was born on April 5, 1977, into a Bengali Hindu family in Mumbai. Her father, Anil Ganguly, was a renowned filmmaker and screenwriter. Her brother, Vijay Ganguly, is a choreographer.

Rupali, who made her acting debut merely at the age of seven in her father’s film Saaheb (1985), went on to study hotel management and theatre.

Rise as TV star

As a television actor, she first gained prominence and earned critical acclaim for her portrayal of Dr Simran Chopra in the medical drama series Sanjivani: A Medical Boon (2003-2005).

However, her career breakthrough came with the iconic role of Manisha Singh Sarabhai aka “Monisha” in Sarabhai vs Sarabhai (2004-2006). Her co-actors in the series were noted names such as Ratna Patak Shah, Satish Shah, Sumeet Raghavan, and Rajesh Kumar, and the cast is known to share a special bond.

In 2006, she participated in the reality show Bigg Boss 1, while in 2008, she lent her voice to an animated film called Dashavatar.

Return to small screen

However, Rupali later left the television world to get married in 2013 and be a homemaker. She has a son, Rudransh, with her husband Ashwin K Verma, whom she met while she was shooting for Parvarrish—Kuchh Khattee Kuchh Meethi.

After a seven-year hiatus, she returned to acting with the titular role in the StarPlus drama series Anupamaa in 2020 and continues to captivate audiences.

In addition to her television career, Rupali has also ventured into Hindi theatre and recently made her digital debut in the prequel web series of Anupamaa.

Rupali adores animals and reportedly has a pet dog named Radha Ganguly.

Narendra Modi fan

After joining the BJP, Rupali said she wished to follow in the footsteps of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and “serve fellow citizens” like him.

She is known to be a Modi fan. Some two months ago, she had met PM Modi and called it a “fan girl moment”, saying it would “go down as one of the most memorable and cherished days of [her] life”.

The actor said on Wednesday that PM Modi and his work had attracted her to the party.

“Seeing the ‘Mahayagya’ of development around me, I felt that I should also be a part of it,” Rupali told the media.

(With agency inputs)